OREANDA-NEWS. GE (NYSE: GE) announced it had been awarded a contract with its consortium partner, Downer EDI Limited, to supply 67 turbines, build and maintain the USD 350 million Boco Rock wind farm in New South Wales, Australia. In addition to supplying and commissioning the wind turbine generators, GE will also provide USD 50 million worth of maintenance services over 10 years.

The wind farm will be located outside of Nimmitabel, in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region, and is permitted for potential future expansion to 121 turbines. Energy generated by the 67 turbine wind farm would be equivalent to the required energy needs of approximately 40,000 homes in the region.

Continental Wind Partners (CWP), the developer of Boco Rock wind farm, has been working with GE since 2011 since the development phase. Thai-listed Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (EGCO) will take 100 percent ownership of the project from CWP. EGCO will retain CWP to manage the wind farm locally.

“After working in collaboration with GE and the local community on the development of Boco Rock, we're excited to see the project moving ahead,” CWP Director, Alex Hewitt, said. “We're pleased to be able to assist EGCO with our knowledge and expertise of the local market.”

GE will supply and commission 58 1.7MW and nine 1.6MW wind turbines. The 1.7-100 machine is the second brilliant wind turbine in GE's portfolio. GE's brilliant wind turbines harness the power of the Industrial Internet to analyze tens of thousands of data points every second, helping to manage wind's variability and drive higher output, compared to earlier models.

In addition to the brilliant features, GE's new 1.7-100 meter wind turbine advances its 1.6-100 wind turbine series by utilizing electrical system upgrades to allow higher energy productions, compared to earlier models.

“We are thrilled to bring our brilliant wind technology to the Boco Rock wind farm and to the people of New South Wales,” said Anne McEntee, president & CEO of GE's renewable energy business. “GE's 1.7-100 turbine has the ability to capture additional energy by six percent and it is the world's most efficient wind turbine in its class.”

GE has installed more than 23,000 wind turbines around the world and last year, in collaboration with CWP, GE completed Europe's largest wind farm, 600MW Fantanele, in Romania. In Australia, GE recently completed its first wind farm project, 55MW Mumbida, near Geraldton in Western Australia.